Members steveyoorock Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 After narrowing down my next main axe to be either a Telecaster or a Les Paul, I feel as though I am leaning towards the Gibson. Can anyone provide me some tips as to what to look for in a Les Paul? I have read this article regarding the quality control of Gibsons on this forum before and had me slightly worried. Some people say that Musician's friend had a nice consistency over their instrument qualities, while others argued that one MUST try out the guitar before they buy it. I have heard stories about Gibson's factories becoming flooded and their guitars not being up to par as of late. Can anyone toss me some advice? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 If you are looking to throw 1k+ on a guitar, IMO there are so many better options than a Gibson. btw, what genre are you playing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveyoorock Posted August 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ah, I am open for suggestions!As for genre, I enjoy older rock like Zepplin and such, but need a guitar that can also do "chimey" stuff such as U2 or some contemporary christian music for church.Oh and definitely blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Get a Fender HSS Strat. What you just listed is begging for one "Play me on an HSS strat!" Can't go wrong with an MIA HSS Strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveyoorock Posted August 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Practical and logical reasons may point that I should go for an HSS strat, but being a former single coil strat owner, I can't see myself with an HSS. A humbucker on a strat just doesn't look right to me haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Well, if you are looking to buy a Les Paul, unless you buy one from a decade pre-80s, you probably aren't going to get the sound gibson is known for. Modern gibsons really have fallen down the {censored}ter. Honestly, I would rather have a modified Agile AL3000 than a Gibson 2011. Then again, I'm a rebel. http://www.rondomusic.com/product4452.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steveyoorock Posted August 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ahh that's sucks to hear :-/.I wonder why...Thanks for the information, Guitarist+! I wonder why their quality has gone down the drain as of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 If you can afford one and can find a good deal, buy a 60s Les Paul (even 70s are good but iirc they aren't nearly as good as the 60s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spike Li Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Well, if you are looking to buy a Les Paul, unless you buy one from a decade pre-80s, you probably aren't going to get the sound gibson is known for. Modern gibsons really have fallen down the {censored}ter. Honestly, I would rather have a modified Agile AL3000 than a Gibson 2011. Then again, I'm a rebel. http://www.rondomusic.com/product4452.html I own 4 and have played many modern Gibsons, and while some of them have been sub par in quality (bad frets, fretboard hump etc), I cant say that Ive ever played a bad sounding Gibson (well excpet for an old studio with a JB in it, yeck...). So yeah, while their current QC is definitely questionable, Gibson can still make one hell of a kick ass guitar- try before you buy yo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spike Li Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ahh that's sucks to hear :-/. I wonder why... Thanks for the information, Guitarist+! I wonder why their quality has gone down the drain as of late. Ive seen and played just as many {censored}ty Fenders as I have Gibsons yet no one ever seems to complain about them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 I own 4 and have played many modern Gibsons, and while some of them have been sub par in quality (bad frets, fretboard hump etc), I cant say that Ive ever played a bad sounding Gibson (well excpet for an old studio with a JB in it, yeck...). So yeah, while their current QC is definitely questionable, Gibson can still make one hell of a kick ass guitar- try before you buy yo I've never played a BAD gibson either. However I can say that every gibson I've played was overpriced, and I can ALWAYS find something better for the money. If I had 1k-2k to throw on a guitar, a gibson is the LAST brand I'd look at That's not to say that there aren't some great copies out there that are easily worth the money, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarist+ Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Ive seen and played just as many {censored}ty Fenders as I have Gibsons yet no one ever seems to complain about them... I can get a Fender MIM (HH, HSS, or SSS) for $500 and thats probably the best guitar in that price range for rock and even 70s metal. Inorder to get a GIBSON, you would have to throw down a MINIMUM of like 800 dollars, and those are in no way better than the 500 dollar MIM Strats, unless you have a Gibson fetish. If you're buying used, its even more of a blow out. Fender MIMs typically run 250-350 used in my area. The lowest priced used Gibson I've ever seen was like 650. I'd take a Fender over a Gibson any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar_Dan Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Well, if you are looking to buy a Les Paul, unless you buy one from a decade pre-80s, you probably aren't going to get the sound gibson is known for. Modern gibsons really have fallen down the {censored}ter.Honestly, I would rather have a modified Agile AL3000 than a Gibson 2011. Then again, I'm a rebel.http://www.rondomusic.com/product4452.html Do not listen to this crap, there are plenty of great Gibsons out there. If you can afford it go a custom shop, otherwise take a look at the traditional range, great guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spike Li Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 I can get a Fender MIM (HH, HSS, or SSS) for $500 and thats probably the best guitar in that price range for rock and even 70s metal.Inorder to get a GIBSON, you would have to throw down a MINIMUM of like 800 dollars, and those are in no way better than the 500 dollar MIM Strats, unless you have a Gibson fetish.If you're buying used, its even more of a blow out. Fender MIMs typically run 250-350 used in my area. The lowest priced used Gibson I've ever seen was like 650.I'd take a Fender over a Gibson any day. Fair enough, you prefer Fenders to Gibbys and theres nothing wrong with that, but to say that Gibson havent made any good guitars since the 70s is pushing it a bit far and spreading misinformation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blind radish Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 I have owned many Les Pauls and many telecasters ... currently, I own three of each. They are very different playing and sounding guitars. Either can bring you joy. Although I have taken a chance and been lucky with Gibsons that I have ordered without playing .... my advice to you (do what I say, not what is do) is play the guitar you want to buy, before you buy it. You'll know pretty quickly if it is worth the money you are spending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 So I'm not going to debate the price of a Gibson vs the competition etc,etc... Fact is the man wants a Gibson and I'm going to go ahead and make the leap of faith to assume that if he has the financial means to afford a Les Paul then he also most likely has the intelligence to understand it's value. So I'm going to move right past that. The fact is this. Tube amps love Les Pauls. They don't really do chimey like a Strat but every thing else they handle pretty well. The thing is though about a LP, not everyone really feels comfortable playing them and I suppose that's another part of the exclusivity. There are some really great players that don't do well on LPs so if you can sling one well it does make somewhat of a statement. As long as you have access to a good setup you should be Ok with MF. If it's really bad you can always send it back. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 There's a lot of {censored} being shoveled here. I picked up my Junior new for $599. In a million years, I would have never considered myself a Junior guy, but at that price, for a guitar THAT good, there's no way I could. I've wasted a lot of time and money trying to make cheapass guitars sound as good as that little stripper, but, no way. Guitarist+, I think you need to go back to your MG10 with the gain dimed and stop giving advice where you have no business. OP, If you want a Gibson, buy one. Which models are you looking at? EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 In my experience, the Gibson QC issue has been non-existent. I've purchased dozens of new Gibsons, most of them online and sight unseen, and the only issue I ever had was one bad 3-way switch. As far as pricing goes, never pay sticker/street price (MAP). Whatever price you see on any of the online retailers (MF/GC/SamAsh/etc.) is too much for a new Gibson. You should be looking to haggle around 20% off of those prices when you buy (maybe 15% if you getting a low end model). I've bought, or known people that have bought plenty of new Les Pauls for at least 20% off MAP with minimal haggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mnewb1 Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 My advice would be, as the blind radish said, try it before you buy it...you'll know then if you have a winner or there are problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 how far are you from stores that stock them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesnapper Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 For the record, I've played some really horrible MIM Fenders. My mail-order Les Paul, on the other hand, was worth every penny. The same goes for 99% of the Les Pauls that other guys buy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stormin1155 Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Forget all the anti-Gibson hype. Gibson always has, and continues to make some of the best guitars around. If you want a Les Paul, buy it. Play a bunch and find the one for you. Don't limit your search to the big box stores like SA and GC. My experience is you are more likely to find the good Gibsons at smaller, privately owned stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theManfromAlabam Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 I am bias "Fender & Gibson" How about a MIA or MIM Standard Telecaster w/ a little tele 59' bridge pup? Or get both Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sk8centilli Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 Get the Gibson. I prefer to play any potential purchase in the store before I buy one, but if it must be done via the Internet, be sure that they have a good return policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BydoEmpire Posted August 10, 2011 Members Share Posted August 10, 2011 I bought my first Les Paul (a Traditional) a couple years ago, and it's by far my favorite guitar. I could not be happier with it. However, I spent about six months shopping - I tried Flying Vs, SGs, PRSs and a couple other styles in addition to dozens of different LPs of all styles before I found "the one." My 2c: Definitely try lots of guitars before you by one - even among Traditionals there was one specific one I bonded with. Probably largely the setup, but between any two instruments there are going to be small differences. I will mention that I'm more sensitive to the setup on my LP than any of my other guitars - if it's off, it just doesn't feel right at all. But if the setup is great, I could play it all day. Don't get caught up in stats and descriptions. I would have sworn I wanted a thinner 60s neck, and I did like them, but the chunkier neck of the Traditional felt great in my hands. Other bigger-necked LPs didn't suit me at all. All I'm saying is don't discount a certain model because on paper it doesn't seem right for you. This happened to me when I was looking for a Suhr a couple weeks ago. The one I absolutely fell in love with didn't look right on paper at all, but it felt and sounded amazing. Forget all the anti-Gibson hype. Gibson always has, and continues to make some of the best guitars around. If you want a Les Paul, buy it. Play a bunch and find the one for you. Don't limit your search to the big box stores like SA and GC. My experience is you are more likely to find the good Gibsons at smaller, privately owned storesI couldn't agree more on both counts. I really liked the PRSs I tried, but I wanted a LP. If I bought a LP I'd still want one after I got the PRS. Definitely try other guitars, though, what you really want might not be what you think you want. Larger stores have a lot more guitars to maintenance, so it's tough for them to keep them all setup properly with fresh strings. Smaller stores (I bought mine at George's - a smaller chain) have less inventory so it seems to me they have better setups overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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